Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Raiffeisen, Friedrich Wilhelm

(Encyclopedia)Raiffeisen, Friedrich Wilhelm frēˈdrĭkh vĭlˈhĕlm rīfˈīˌzən [key], 1818–88, German leader in the cooperative movement. Between 1845 and 1865 he was mayor of several German towns. After the...

Niinistö, Sauli Väinämö

(Encyclopedia)Niinistö, Sauli Väinämö, 1948–, Finnish political leader. A lawyer and a member of the center-right National Coalition party (NCP), he was first elected to parliament in 1987. Leader of the NCP ...

Ai

(Encyclopedia)Ai āˈī [key], in the Bible. 1 Canaanite royal city, E of Bethel. Abraham pitched his tent there when he arrived in Canaan. It is probably the modern et-Tell, near Bethel (West Bank). Excavations ha...

Wuchang

(Encyclopedia)Wuchang wo͞o-chäng [key], former city, since 1950 part of Wuhan, E Hubei prov., China, on the right bank of the Chang River at the mouth of the Han. It is an administrative and cultural center, with...

Bretton Woods Conference

(Encyclopedia)Bretton Woods Conference, name commonly given to the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, held (July 1–22, 1944) at Bretton Woods, N.H., where 730 delegates representing 44 countries en...

Yushchenko, Viktor Andriyovych

(Encyclopedia)Yushchenko, Viktor Andriyovych,, 1954–, Ukrainian politician, president of Ukraine (2005–10), b. Khoruzhivka, Ukraine. A technocrat trained as an accountant and economist, he rose in Ukraine's ban...

Corsica

(Encyclopedia)Corsica kôrˈsĭkə [key], Fr. Corse, island, 3,352 sq mi (8,682 sq km), a region of metropo...

body temperature

(Encyclopedia)body temperature, internal temperature of a living organism. Mammals and birds are termed warm-blooded, or homeothermic, i.e., they are able to maintain a relatively constant inner body temperature, w...

Medusa, in Greek mythology

(Encyclopedia)Medusa mədo͞oˈsə [key], in Greek mythology, most famous of the three monstrous Gorgon sisters. She was once a beautiful woman, but she offended Athena, who changed her hair into snakes and made he...

Henle, Jacob

(Encyclopedia)Henle, Jacob (Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle) frēˈdrĭkh go͝osˈtäf yäˈkôp hĕnˈlə [key], 1809–85, German anatomist and histologist. A pupil of J. P. Müller, he taught at Zürich, Heidelberg...

Browse by Subject