Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Diogenes of Apollonia

(Encyclopedia)Diogenes of Apollonia ăpəlōˈnēə [key], 5th cent. b.c., Greek philosopher. An eclectic, he reverted to the Milesian tradition of a century earlier in seeking to explain the constitution of all ma...

Portales, Diego

(Encyclopedia)Portales, Diego dyāˈgō pôrtäˈlās [key], 1793–1837, Chilean statesman. Founder of constitutional order and of the conservative regime in Chile, he was general minister (1830–31) and minister...

Ayutla

(Encyclopedia)Ayutla äyo͞otˈlä [key], town, Guerrero state, S Mexico. Its full name is Ayutla de los Libres [Ayutla of the free]. It is the commercial center for an agricultural, ca...

Hérault de Séchelles, Marie Jean

(Encyclopedia)Hérault de Séchelles, Marie Jean märēˈ zhäN ārōˈ də sāshĕlˈ [key], 1759–94, French revolutionary. A lawyer, he became a favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette, but nevertheless joined the r...

Isaacs, Sir Isaac Alfred

(Encyclopedia)Isaacs, Sir Isaac Alfred īˈzəks [key], 1855–1948, Australian jurist and political leader. He sat in the colonial legislature (1892–1901), became solicitor general (1893), and served as attorney...

Griswold, Matthew

(Encyclopedia)Griswold, Matthew grĭzˈwəld [key], 1714–99, American jurist and politician, b. Lyme, Conn. Admitted to the bar in 1743, he was very learned in the law and was active in Connecticut politics. As d...

Griswold v. Connecticut

(Encyclopedia)Griswold v. Connecticut, case decided in 1965 by the U.S. Supreme Court, establishing a right to privacy in striking down a Connecticut ban on the sale of contraceptives. The Court, through Justice Wi...

British North America Act

(Encyclopedia)British North America Act, law passed by the British Parliament in 1867 that provided for the unification of the Canadian provinces into the dominion of Canada. Until 1982 the act also functioned as t...

Wallon, Henri Alexandre

(Encyclopedia)Wallon, Henri Alexandre äNrēˈ älĕksäNˈdrə välôNˈ [key], 1812–1904, French historian and politician. He was elected (1871) to the national assembly, and it was his proposal (1875) that led...

Castilla, Ramón

(Encyclopedia)Castilla, Ramón rämōnˈ kästēˈyä [key], 1797–1867, president of Peru (1845–51, 1855–62). He fought under Antonio José de Sucre in the revolution against Spain (1821–24) in Peru and too...

Browse by Subject