Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Wilson, William Bauchop

(Encyclopedia)Wilson, William Bauchop, 1862–1934, American labor leader, U.S. Secretary of Labor (1913–21), b. Blantyre, Scotland. Coming as a child to the United States in 1870, he worked in Pennsylvania coal ...

Bourne, Hugh

(Encyclopedia)Bourne, Hugh bo͝orn [key], 1772–1852, English founder of the sect of Primitive Methodists. In 1799 he joined the Wesleyan Methodists and became a preacher. In 1807 he began holding outdoor revival ...

Bruno, Saint, 925–65, German churchman and statesman

(Encyclopedia)Bruno, Saint bro͞oˈnō [key], 925–65, German churchman and statesman; brother and chief adviser of the first Holy Roman emperor, Otto I, whose chancellor he was from c.950. He was made (953) archb...

Philae

(Encyclopedia)Philae fīˈlē [key], former island, SE Egypt, NE Africa, in the Nile River N of the Aswan High Dam. Of its temples, all dating from late Egyptian and classical times (600 b.c.–a.d. 600), the most ...

Raikes, Robert

(Encyclopedia)Raikes, Robert rāks [key], 1735–1811, English philanthropist. In 1780 he organized a Sunday school, primarily for poor children, who were taught to read and to spell to enable them to read the Bibl...

social contract

(Encyclopedia)social contract, agreement or covenant by which men are said to have abandoned the “state of nature” to form the society in which they now live. The theory of such a contract, first formulated by ...

territory

(Encyclopedia)territory, in U.S. history, a portion of the national domain that is given limited self-government, usually in preparation for statehood. Territorial governments have been similar in form to those of ...

Texas Rangers

(Encyclopedia)Texas Rangers, mounted fighting force organized (1835) during the Texas Revolution. During the republic they became established as the guardians of the Texas frontier, particularly against Native Amer...

caravan

(Encyclopedia)caravan, group of travelers or merchants banded together and organized for mutual assistance and defense while traveling through unsettled or hostile country. Caravan trade is associated with the hist...

Browse by Subject