Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Werner, Abraham Gottlob

(Encyclopedia)Werner, Abraham Gottlob äˈbrähäm gôtˈlōp vĕrˈnər [key], 1750–1817, German geologist. In 1775 he became inspector and teacher in the mining academy at Freiberg, which through his efforts be...

Woodstock, cities, United States

(Encyclopedia)Woodstock. 1 City (1990 pop. 14,353) seat of McHenry co., NE Ill.; inc. 1845. In a grain and dairying area, the city has food processing and produces paper products, medical equipment, machinery, and ...

Pinnacles National Park

(Encyclopedia)Pinnacles National Park, c.26,000 acres (10,500 hectares), in the Gabilan Mts. of the Coast Ranges, W central Calif.; est. as a national monument 1980, designated a national park 2013. Pinnacles featu...

pigeon

(Encyclopedia)pigeon, common name for members of the large family Columbidae, land birds, cosmopolitan in temperate and tropical regions, characterized by stout bodies, short necks, small heads, and thick, heavy pl...

mountain climbing

(Encyclopedia)mountain climbing, the practice of climbing to elevated points for sport, pleasure, or research. Also called mountaineering, it is practiced throughout the world. Many mountain climbing clubs have...

Edgerton, Harold

(Encyclopedia)Edgerton, Harold, 1903–90, American inventor and educator, b. Fremont, Nebr. He was educated at the Univ. of Nebraska and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (D.Sc., 1931), and taught at the l...

dipper

(Encyclopedia)dipper, common name for the only aquatic member of the order Perciformes (perching birds) found near cold mountain streams. With their short, stubby wings and tails and their thick brownish plumage, d...

disco

(Encyclopedia)disco, style of popular music that flourished during the 1970s. Originating in the United States, it evolved mainly from funk, soul, and salsa and became popular worldwide. Characterized by a heavy, t...

Albert I, king of the Belgians

(Encyclopedia)Albert I, 1875–1934, king of the Belgians (1909–34), nephew and successor of Leopold II. He married (1900) Elizabeth, a Bavarian princess. In World War I his heroic resistance (1914) to the German...

Feld, Eliot

(Encyclopedia)Feld, Eliot, 1942–, American dancer and choreographer, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. As a teenager he danced in musicals, notably West Side Story on Broadway and film, and on television. While a dancer (1963–...

Browse by Subject