Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Pew Charitable Trusts

(Encyclopedia)Pew Charitable Trusts, philanthropic foundation established (1948) by the children of Sun Oil Company founder Joseph N. Pew (1886–1963) of Philadelphia to provide funds for “general religious, cha...

Campbell-Bannerman, Sir Henry

(Encyclopedia)Campbell-Bannerman, Sir Henry, 1836–1908, British statesman. Entering Parliament (1868) as a Liberal, he served as secretary to the admiralty (1882–84), secretary of state for Ireland (1884), and ...

Verdaguer, Jacinto

(Encyclopedia)Verdaguer, Jacinto zhäsēnˈtō vārdəgārˈ [key], 1845–1902, Catalan poet, considered the national poet of Catalonia and the most beloved poet of the Catalan Renaissance of the 19th cent. Religi...

ulcer

(Encyclopedia)ulcer, open sore or circumscribed erosion, usually slow to heal, on the skin or mucous membranes. It may develop as a result of injury; because of a circulatory disturbance, e.g., in varicose veins or...

Deschanel, Paul Eugéne Louis

(Encyclopedia)Deschanel, Paul Eugéne Louis dāshänĕlˈ [key], 1855–1922, president of the French republic (1920); son of Émile Deschanel. A member of the chamber of deputies from 1885 and several times its p...

Dalhousie University

(Encyclopedia)Dalhousie University dălhouˈzē [key], at Halifax, N.S., Canada; nonsectarian; coeducational; founded 1818 by the 9th earl of Dalhousie. Except for a few years between 1838 and 1845, Dalhousie did n...

Finlay, Carlos Juan

(Encyclopedia)Finlay, Carlos Juan fĭnˈlē [key], 1833–1915, Cuban physician of Scottish and French descent; studied in France; M.D. Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, 1855. Settling in Havana, he began hi...

family leave

(Encyclopedia)family leave, social policy permitting workers to take a specified amount of time off from the job to attend to pressing family needs. The U.S. Family and Medical Leave Act (1993) attempts to balance ...

Hood, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Hood, Thomas, 1799–1845, English poet. He was an editor of various prominent magazines and periodicals. The greater proportion of his work was written in a humorous vein, and he was celebrated for h...

Gallup

(Encyclopedia)Gallup, town (2020 pop. 21,899), alt. 6,515 ft (1,986 m), seat of McKinley co., NW N.Mex., on the Puerco River near the Ariz. line; inc. 1891. It is a r...