Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Martin, Agnes

(Encyclopedia)Martin, Agnes (Agnes Bernice Martin), 1912–2004, American painter, b. Macklin, Canada. She moved to the United States in 1931, began painting in 1942,...

Wonder, Stevie

(Encyclopedia)Wonder, Stevie, 1950–, American singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, b. Saginaw, Mich., as Steveland Hardaway Judkins (changed to Steveland Hardaway Morris, 1961). Blind from birth, he played th...

Velde, Henri van de

(Encyclopedia)Velde, Henri van de äNrēˈ väN də vĕld [key], 1863–1957, Belgian designer and architect. Beginning as a painter, critic, and crafts designer in Belgium and in France, he received his first grea...

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

(Encyclopedia)United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), agency of the United Nations, with headquarters in Amman, Jordan and Gaza City, Gaza Strip. Established in 1949,...

Thessalonians

(Encyclopedia)Thessalonians thĕsˌəlōˈnēənz [key], two letters of the New Testament. First Thessalonians was written by St. Paul from Corinth, c.a.d. 51, and addressed to the newly founded church at Thessalon...

shell

(Encyclopedia)shell, in zoology, hard outer covering secreted by an animal for protection. It is also called the test, crust, or carapace. The term usually refers to the calcareous shells of the many species of mol...

Halston

(Encyclopedia)Halston, 1932–90, American fashion designer, b. Des Moines, Iowa as Roy Halston Frowick; attended Indiana Univ. and the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1958 he moved to New York City, designing hats fo...

kachina

(Encyclopedia)kachina kəchēˈnə [key], spirit of the invisible life forces of the Pueblo of North America. The kachinas, or kachinam, are impersonated by elaborately costumed masked male members of the tribes wh...

music hall

(Encyclopedia)music hall. In England, the Licensing Act of 1737 confined the production of legitimate plays to the two royal theaters—Drury Lane and Covent Garden; the demands for entertainment of the rising lowe...

Merian, Matthäus

(Encyclopedia)Merian, Matthäus māˈrēän [key], the elder, 1593–1650, Swiss engraver and draftsman. In Frankfurt am Main from c.1623, he produced, with help from assistants, numerous engravings of battles and...