Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Pinckney, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Pinckney, Thomas, 1750–1828, American political leader and diplomat, b. Charleston, S.C.; brother of C. C. Pinckney and cousin of Charles Pinckney. At the outbreak of the American Revolution he join...

Bemis, Samuel Flagg

(Encyclopedia)Bemis, Samuel Flagg bēˈmĭs [key], 1891–1973, American historian, b. Worcester, Mass. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1916 and taught history at various schools before becoming Farnum profes...

Szell, George

(Encyclopedia)Szell, George sĕl [key], 1897–1970, American conductor and pianist, b. Budapest. He moved with his family to Vienna during his childhood and started his piano training at an early age studying at t...

Moffat Tunnel

(Encyclopedia)Moffat Tunnel mŏfˈət [key], railroad tube, 24 ft (7.3 m) high, 18 ft (5.5 m) wide, and 6.4 mi (10.3 km) long, N central Colo., in the Continental Divide, NW of Denver. One of the country's longest ...

McCumber, Porter James

(Encyclopedia)McCumber, Porter James, 1858–1933, American political leader, b. Crete, Ill. He began law practice in North Dakota and served (1885–89) in the territorial legislature. From 1899 to 1923 he was a R...

Murphy, William Parry

(Encyclopedia)Murphy, William Parry, 1892–1987, American physician, b. Stoughton, Wis., M.D. Harvard, 1920. He taught at Harvard from 1923 and was associated with the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, in Boston, from ...

Hepburn, Alonzo Barton

(Encyclopedia)Hepburn, Alonzo Barton, 1846–1922, American legislator and banker, b. Colton, St. Lawrence co., N.Y. He served (1875–80) in the New York state legislature and became chairman of the legislative co...

Fleming, Sir Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Fleming, Sir Alexander, 1881–1955, Scottish bacteriologist, discoverer of penicillin (1928) and lysozyme (1922), an antibacterial substance found in saliva and other body secretions. Educated at St....

Black Kettle

(Encyclopedia)Black Kettle, d. 1868, chief of the southern Cheyenne in Colorado. His attempt to make peace (1864) with the white men ended in the massacre of about half his people at Sand Creek. Despite this treach...

Ignatiev, Nikolai Pavlovich, Count

(Encyclopedia)Ignatiev, Nikolai Pavlovich, Count nyĭkəlīˈ pävˈləvĭch ĭgnäˈtyəf [key], 1832–1908, Russian diplomat. He was sent to China as an envoy in 1859. There he played the Chinese against the Bri...

Browse by Subject