Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

333 results found

Winfrey, Oprah

(Encyclopedia)Winfrey, Oprah, 1954–, African-American television host, actress, and media magnate, b. Kosciusko, Miss., as Orpah Gail Winfrey, grad. Tennessee State Univ. (1976). She began her career as a Nashvil...

Yale University

(Encyclopedia)Yale University, at New Haven, Conn.; coeducational. Chartered as a collegiate school for men in 1701 largely as a result of the efforts of James Pierpont, it opened at Killingworth (now Clinton) in 1...

Muti, Riccardo

(Encyclopedia)Muti, Riccardo rēk-kärˈdō mo͞oˈtē [key], 1941–, Italian conductor. Principal conductor of the Maggio Musicale (1969–81) in Florence and of the Philharmonia Orchestra (1973–82) in London, ...

Kisumu

(Encyclopedia)Kisumu kēso͞oˈmo͞o [key], city (1989 est. pop. 185,100), capital of Nyanza prov., SW Kenya, on Kavirondo Gulf (an arm of Lake Victoria). It is the principal lake port of Kenya, its third largest c...

Salvemini, Gaetano

(Encyclopedia)Salvemini, Gaetano gäātäˈnō sälvāmēˈnē [key], 1873–1957, Italian historian. He taught at the universities of Messina, Pisa, and Florence and also served (1919–21) in parliament. After be...

Chrysoloras, Manuel

(Encyclopedia)Chrysoloras, Manuel krĭsəlôrˈəs [key], c.1350–1415, Greek teacher and writer, b. Constantinople. Traveling to Italy on a diplomatic mission, he became celebrated for his teaching and introduced...

Alamanni, Luigi

(Encyclopedia)Alamanni or Alemanni, Luigi lo͞oēˈjē älämänˈnē, älā– [key], 1495–1556, Italian poet and patriot. He was a friend of Macchiavelli, who may have encouraged his conspiracy (1522) against C...

Giannotti, Donato

(Encyclopedia)Giannotti, Donato dōnäˈtō jän-nôtˈtē [key], 1492–1573, Italian political theorist, b. Florence. He studied at Pisa and in 1527 became secretary of the supreme council of the Florentine repub...

Potgieter, Everhardus Johannes

(Encyclopedia)Potgieter, Everhardus Johannes āvərhärˈdəs yōhänˈəs pôtˈgētər [key], 1808–75, Dutch critic, essayist, and poet. He was the first editor (1837–65) of and a major contributor to De Gids...

Powers, Hiram

(Encyclopedia)Powers, Hiram, 1805–73, American sculptor, b. Woodstock, Vt. Having moved to Ohio, he made wax models for a Cincinnati museum. In 1835 he began his career as a sculptor, spending some time in Washin...