Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Gall, Francis Joseph

(Encyclopedia)Gall, Francis Joseph, 1758–1828, Austrian anatomist and founder of phrenology. He devoted most of his life to a minute study of the nervous system, especially the brain. With the collaboration of a ...

Erhard, Ludwig

(Encyclopedia)Erhard, Ludwig lo͝otˈvĭkh ĕrˈhärt [key], 1897–1977, German political leader and economist. In Nuremberg he rose to be director of the institute for economic research. Dismissed (1942) by the N...

Midway

(Encyclopedia)Midway, island group (2 sq mi/5.2 sq km), central Pacific, c.1,150 mi (1,850 km) NW of Honolulu, comprising Sand and Eastern islands with the surrounding atoll. Discovered by Americans in 1859, Midway...

National Ballet of Canada

(Encyclopedia)National Ballet of Canada, the leading Canadian ballet company. Based in Toronto, it was founded (1951) by Celia Franca (1921–2007) and modeled on Sadler's Wells (now the Royal Ballet). Its repertoi...

Nicklaus, Jack William

(Encyclopedia)Nicklaus, Jack William, 1940–, American golfer, b. Columbus, Ohio. He began playing golf at the age of 10 and before becoming a professional in late 1961 was considered by many the greatest amateur ...

Noll, Chuck

(Encyclopedia)Noll, Chuck (Charles Henry Noll), 1932–2014, American professional football coach, b. Cleveland, B.S. Univ. of Dayton, 1953. A guard and linebacker in college and with the Cleveland Browns (1953–5...

Koufax, Sandy

(Encyclopedia)Koufax, Sandy (Sanford Koufax) kōˈfăks [key], 1935–, American baseball player, b. New York City. A superb pitcher, he played (1955–66) with the Dodgers, remaining on the team when the franchise...

Malecite

(Encyclopedia)Malecite or Maliseet both: mălˈəsīt [key], Native North Americans whose language belongs to the Algonquian branch of the Algonquian-Wakashan linguistic stock (see Native American languages). In th...

Maggiore, Lago

(Encyclopedia)Maggiore, Lago vārbäˈnō [key], second largest lake in Italy, 82 sq mi (212 sq km), in the Alpine foothills of Piedmont and Lombardy. The lake is c.40 mi (65 km) long and has a maximum depth of c.1...

mah jongg

(Encyclopedia)mah jongg mä jông [key], four-handed game, probably of Chinese origin, popular in the United States. It is played in many variations throughout China. In 1920, Joseph P. Babcock, an American travele...