Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Gang of Four

(Encyclopedia)Gang of Four, term of opprobrium given by the Chinese Communist authorities to four persons held responsible for the excesses of the Cultural Revolution (1966–69). They were also accused of trying t...

Apollonius of Tyana

(Encyclopedia)Apollonius of Tyana, fl. 1st cent. a.d., Greek philosopher, b. Tyana, Cappadocia. A philosopher of the Neo-Pythagorean school, he traveled widely and became famous for his wisdom and reputed magical p...

Sons of Liberty

(Encyclopedia)Sons of Liberty, secret organizations formed in the American colonies in protest against the Stamp Act (1765). They took their name from a phrase used by Isaac Barré in a speech against the Stamp Act...

Westminster, Statutes of

(Encyclopedia)Westminster, Statutes of, in medieval English history, legislative promulgations made by Edward I in Parliament at Westminster. Westminster I (1275) practically constitutes a code of law; it covers a ...

Catherine of Valois

(Encyclopedia)Catherine of Valois vălˈwä, Fr. välwäˈ [key], 1401–37, queen consort of Henry V of England, daughter of Charles VI of France. Married in 1420, she bore Henry the son who was to become Henry VI...

Hesychius of Alexandria

(Encyclopedia)Hesychius of Alexandria hēsĭkˈēəs [key], fl. 5th cent.?, Alexandrian grammarian. Hesychius is known as the compiler of an invaluable lexicon, a glossary of unusual words and expressions occurring...

Galilee, Sea of

(Encyclopedia)Galilee, Sea of, Lake Tiberias kĭnˈərĕtˌ [key], lake, 64 sq mi (166 sq km), 14 mi (23 km) long, and 3 to 7 mi (4.8–11.3 km) wide, NE Israel; its surface is c.700 ft (210 m) below sea level. Th...

Liverpool, University of

(Encyclopedia)Liverpool, University of, at Liverpool, England; established 1881 as University College, received royal charter in 1903. It has faculties of arts, education, engineering, law, medicine, dentistry, sci...

Leeds, University of

(Encyclopedia)Leeds, University of, at Leeds, England; established 1884 by the amalgamation of Yorkshire College (1874) with the Leeds School of Medicine (1831). The school was known as Yorkshire College until 1904...

Thailand, Gulf of

(Encyclopedia)Thailand, Gulf of, or Gulf of Siam, shallow arm of the South China Sea, c.500 mi (800 km) long and up to 350 mi (560 km) wide, separating the Malay Peninsula from E Thailand, Cambodia, and S Vietnam. ...