Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Averescu, Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Averescu, Alexander ävĕrĕsˈko͞o [key], 1859–1938, Romanian general and political leader. He served as a volunteer in the 1877–78 war against the Ottoman Empire and rose to become minister of ...

Auchinleck, Sir Claude John Eyre

(Encyclopedia)Auchinleck, Sir Claude John Eyre âr ôˌkĭnlĕkˈ, ôˌkhĭn– [key], 1884–1981, British field marshal. In World War II he commanded briefly (1940) at Narvik, Norway, then in building defenses in...

Prescott, William

(Encyclopedia)Prescott, William, 1726–95, American Revolutionary officer, b. Groton, Mass. He saw service in the French and Indian Wars. In the American Revolution, he fortified (1775) Breed's Hill for the coloni...

Magruder, John Bankhead

(Encyclopedia)Magruder, John Bankhead məgro͞oˈdər [key], 1810–71, Confederate general in the American Civil War, b. Winchester, Va. His reckless daring in the Mexican War won him quick promotion in the army. ...

Lothair, French king

(Encyclopedia)Lothair, 941–86, French king (954–86), son and successor of King Louis IV. During the early part of his reign he was dominated by Hugh the Great. Even after Hugh's death he was involved in conflic...

Graves, Thomas Graves, Baron

(Encyclopedia)Graves, Thomas Graves, Baron, 1725?–1802, British admiral. During the American Revolution his fleet was routed (1781) by the comte de Grasse at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, a defeat that led directl...

Kota Baru

(Encyclopedia)Kota Baru bəhärˈo͞o [key], city (1990 est. pop. 215,000), capital of Kelantan state, Malaysia, central Malay Peninsula, on the South China Sea at the mouth of the Kelantan River. It has an importa...

Bukele Ortez, Nayib Armando

(Encyclopedia)Bukele Ortez, Nayib Armando, 1981–, Salvadoran businessman and politician. Of Palestinian descent, he followed his father into business at an early age. Originally a member of the Farabundo Martí N...

Valls Galfetti, Manuel Carlos

(Encyclopedia)Valls Galfetti, Manuel Carlos, 1962–, b. Barcelona, Spain. After his family moved to Paris, he became a member of the Socialist party (1980) and a French citizen (1982). Valls was a Ile-de-France co...

Vardaman, James Kimble

(Encyclopedia)Vardaman, James Kimble, 1861–1930, U.S. political leader, b. near Edna, Jackson co., Tex. Admitted to the Mississippi bar in 1881, he practiced law and was a newspaper editor before entering politic...