Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Worcester, city, England

(Encyclopedia)Worcester wo͝osˈtər [key], city (1991 pop. 75,466) and district, Worcestershire, W central England, on the Severn River. The making of porcelain, gloves, and sauces are long-established industries;...

Burnham, Forbes

(Encyclopedia)Burnham, Forbes, 1923–85, prime minister (1964–80) and president (1980–85) of Guyana, formerly British Guiana. His full name was Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham. Of African descent, he received a ...

blockade

(Encyclopedia)blockade, use of naval forces to cut off maritime communication and supply. Blockades may be used to prevent shipping from reaching enemy ports, or they may serve purposes of coercion. The term is rar...

Stair, John Dalrymple, 2d earl of

(Encyclopedia)Stair, John Dalrymple, 2d earl of, 1673–1747, Scottish general and diplomat; son of the 1st earl of Stair. He began a military career in the Netherlands, but on his father's death returned home and ...

Teesside

(Encyclopedia)Teesside, former county borough, NE England, at the mouth of the Tees River. Teesside was created in 1968 by the merger of the county borough of Middlesbrough; the municipal boroughs of Stockton-on-Te...

Tennent, Gilbert

(Encyclopedia)Tennent, Gilbert, 1703–64, American Presbyterian clergyman, leading preacher of the Great Awakening, b. Ireland; son of William Tennent. He moved with his parents to Pennsylvania c.1718. Installed a...

thalidomide

(Encyclopedia)thalidomide thəlĭdˈəmĭdˌ [key], sleep-inducing drug found to produce skeletal defects in developing fetuses. The drug was marketed in Europe, especially in West Germany and Britain, from 1957 to...

Valentinian I

(Encyclopedia)Valentinian I vălˌəntĭnˈēən [key], 321–75, Roman emperor of the West (364–75). He held high military rank under Julian and Jovian. After the death of Jovian, Valentinian was proclaimed empe...

Beckham, David

(Encyclopedia)Beckham, David (David Robert Joseph Beckham), 1975–, English soccer player known especially for the power and accuracy of his free kicks. After beginning to play on the Manchester United youth squad...

throne

(Encyclopedia)throne, chair of state or the seat of a high dignitary. The throne was at first a stool or bench and later became an ornate armchair, usually raised on a dais and surmounted by a canopy. Often lavishl...